nip something in the bud
• suppress or destroy something at an early stage.
• "the idea has been nipped in the bud by the local council"
Similar:
curtail,
cut short,
strangle at birth,
check,
cut off,
thwart,
beat,
frustrate,
curb,
stop,
halt,
arrest,
stifle,
obstruct,
impede,
block,
squash,
quash,
subdue,
quell,
crack down on,
stamp out,
squelch,
put the kibosh on,
clobber,
